Posted on 09/22/2001 8:49:15 PM PDT by Ms. AntiFeminazi
WASHINGTON (AP) — Box-cutting tools like those used by hijackers were found on airliners grounded by the Sept. 11 attacks, authorities said Saturday, as investigators linked a man arrested in London with one of the terrorist pilots.
The discoveries could indicate that attackers planned to commandeer more than the four planes that crashed into the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and a field in western Pennsylvania, said the head of a traveler's advocacy group.
``We don't know how many of the hijackers that actually died were pilots, but there was suspicion that a lot more planes were going to be hit,'' said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.
A law enforcement source said one of four people arrested in England on Friday took flying lessons at the same Arizona school, and at the same time, as a terrorist in the Pentagon attack.
The 27-year-old man left the United States before the hijackings, said the investigator, who is familiar with the probe but insisted on anonymity. The man, his wife, 25, and his brother, 29, were arrested in west London on Friday by Scotland Yard. A fourth man, in his 40s, was arrested in Birmingham, north of London. Their names were not released.
The 29-year-old man was released from custody Saturday, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said. The individuals in custody had not been cooperating with authorities, the law enforcement source said.
``They have direct connections to the suicide pilots,'' a second law enforcement source, also involved in the terrorist investigation, told The Associated Press Saturday.
The FBI has identified a Hani Hanjour as one of the terrorists who attacked the Pentagon. FAA records show a Hani Hanjoor as receiving a commercial pilot's license in 1999, listing a post office box in Saudi Arabia as his address.
T. Gerald Chilton Jr., a corporate officer for CRM Airline Training Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., said a man named Hani Hanjoor received pilot training there for three months in 1996, and in December 1997. He put down a $100 deposit toward additional training in 1997, but did not attend more classes.
Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller confirmed that box-cutting tools were discovered when planes were scoured for evidence after airliners were ordered grounded just after the attacks.
Miller said he couldn't confirm how many box-cutters were found or the routes the planes were flying. But another government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were discovered on two planes.
The Washington Post said the tools were found under adjoining seat cushions on a flight that originated in Boston, and in the trash bin of another plane that was bound for Brussels from Atlanta.
Before the attacks, federal regulations allowed knives with blades up to 4 inches, although state and local laws could be more restrictive.
In an indication of increased U.S. security, the Coast Guard has begun checking all lists of crew members and passengers on vessels entering the United States, and comparing names with those on law enforcement databases, said Cmdr. Jim McPherson.
He cited the example last week of the captain of a cruise ship returning to Miami from Cozumel, Mexico, who reported that two passengers were acting suspiciously. The Coast Guard was contacted, detained the men and found that one was wanted in connection with terrorist acts unrelated to the Sept. 11 hijackings. The man was turned over to the FBI.
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Associated Press Writers Pat Milton and Jonathan Salant contributed to this story.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I would rather the moderator let the reports stand, and US decide which is true as we do further research ourselves.... but hey, thats just me.
The next few years should drive those of us with "conspircacy theory 101" in our curriculum background... absolutely nuts.
LOL! Right you are!
Do all the research you want. No one is stopping you. Meanwhile, we'll try to maintain some of Free Republic's credibility (lost cause?) by pulling unverified sources.
I asked you before to prove DEBKA's credibility. While you're at it, discredit the AP on the same story. Fair enough?
I have to agree. As soon as I see either of them as the source I just go ahead and click the BACK button. NewsMax always looks like a repackaged and re-spun version of stories from other sources. As much as I detest the liberal bias in the mainstream media, it is indeed those media who control the minds of the sheeple, so I like to keep an eye on what they're having to say. Fox is slowly making a dent in it, but it's a tiny ding thus far.
I find that... strange, and different... for here.
That articles posted from one source would be "pulled" because of any one person's particular leanings regarding the "credibility" of various sources, available on the web. NOT that long ago, I remember a certain reporter whose name rhymes with "budge", was being attacked by a certain group of posters... some recommended pulling any articles that were "sourced" in his online ezine. Those folks were wrong.
I could see moving something from the "hard news" column to the "opinions and theories" category, but deleting it because API did not agree with it... seems a little different than the past. NO matter.
It was not an argument. and I have ZERO idea what the original DEBKA article was about... but probably would have visited for consideration myself, had someone not pulled the thread. OF course its okay. I just like for others to report whatever, and let ME decide what to flush from my cache, AFTER I look at it.
Like I said, no matter. You do a great job. Hang in there...
you said "I asked you before ..."
But I did not see that as I don't stay here all night... so I did not see this earlier post of yours. Sorry.
As for DEBKA, I have zero idea who or what it is you are referring to... only that it was pulled. NOT an issue with me, I just did not understand WHAT was being referred to in earlier comments by other posters.
I have NO dog in this fight regarding debka. Only a sense of surprise of an alleged source being erased due to guidelines that I have not yet seen.
Are there a list of "questionable sources" that we all can be careful to avoid??? Welcome to post me through email if there is something I don't know... Peace out.
Or hiding them mid-flight to evad a possible search when it became evident that the planes were going to land at the nearewst field.
When 2 stories contradict, how can you determine which is/is not factual?
Is this the basis for pulling a post?
The moderator thinks it may not be factual?
I come here for raw news and commentary.
I do not want my news censored.
Please don't let FR turn into CNN...
EVERY tidbit is mirrored by a lie or truth in the opposite assertion. The closer we get, the more ghosts we can expect on the radar screen. If one outlets says: "The target is ... fill in the blank," it will be contradicted with a new report in hours or seconds...
I think its time to turn the steak over... Its starting to sizzle. GREAT catches tonight by the way....
BTW, ONE of the conspiracy theories was validated by Stephanopolous in re TWA.
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